Summers comming

Inspired by the lovely sunny days we have been having and a set of free Indigo Blu stamps from simply cards and papercraft.
A wrinkle free background with dried marigold squeezed lemonade spun sugar and tumbled glass, then a stencil from Creative Expressions and milled lavender an often forgotten colour.The flowers and butterfly were then stamped onto the remaining coloured card and coloured with distress markers before being fussy cut.

I hope this is excitable for Less is More were the challenge is flowers
What a shame the weather has changed in the blink of an eye and it's back to raining  

I'm converted

Yesterday I took my friends Becky's place as she wasn't feeling very well on Hels workshop.
 I got to play with the new distress paints !!! yeah I'm converted as I didn't think I needed another type of paint, just love the way they work with the distress inks a real eye opener for me but I guess most of you  know how wonderful they are .
Here's one of the pages in the book we did

 

Thanks for popping by xxx

 

Challenge 24 Artful times

Spots and stripes / circles and lines that's the theme for the next fortnight at Artful Times.
Whether you choose to make a background or use them in your main images I'm sure you will have fun and make something amazing .

For my ATC I have used just 3 colours of distress re-inkers picked raspberry, salty ocean and mowed lawn, I applied a drop of each colour to a baby wipe and striped a piece of card then with out re-inking coloured another piece of card, I used that for the background and stamped some line in the same colours and using the bold striped card for the border and spots stamped the bird and then paper pieced onto the ATC

Hope you like it and join in the fun and Neet and I will be more than happy to visit you :)

 

Anything can be useful

OOTH challenge this week is most useful stamp/s, I find lots of stamps useful and on this occiasion I choose to use some of the Tim Holtz visage range to add texture to the background of my tag .

 

 

Also ABAC would like to use anything that can be tied, well that's what tags are for lol but I have also used some lace on my tag :)

 

 

 

So it was back to a favourite colour combo of worn lipstick and broken china with picket fence distress stain for the background and stamping again in the same colours.

Chipboard shapes from Tando .

 

Anything but a card

It's the second week of wings at ABAC with some fabulous inspiration from the team
I've made a background of distressed inks and stamped with an old Paper Artsy numbers plate and added some picket fence crackle paint.
The very old butterfly stamp I choose because it had very little detail on it was stamped with the new Paper Artsy numbers plate (just love that stamp) and I think you can just see the distress stickles on the wings

 

 

I don't know about you but we had a sprinkling of snow this morning but it's back to the rain now :( roll on spring

Favourties for Out of the Hat

Out of the Hat are asking this week what's your favourite well for me it's got to be stamping oh and of course I love masking and then there's my new favourite tools the ink dusters and Less is More are having another colour challenge of pink and brown which spells vintage shabby chic to me in a CAS style.

The lady from Paper Artsy was stamped in brushed corduroy on a background of tattered rose applied with the ink duster, the corner flourish from Creative Expression was then stamped over the masked lady with victorian velvet.
Hope you like it and thanks for popping by :)
I'm also entering this in Addicted to stamps who also want to see a CAS card

Mona Lisa at Artful Times Challenge 10

At Artful Times Challenge I'm  taking you back a few years to when Mona Lisa was one of the most popular images, but she hardly gets an outing these days so thought it would be nice to bring her back into the spotlight. You can make anything you like. be it stamped or collaged

Just for a change I have gone all T!m Holtz, my hanging is made on glossy card using one of the techniques we learnt on the chemistry 101 course, the top is cut with an on the edge die and the  bottom thing cut in grunge board and embossed with a mixture of gold and verdigris and to hang it I have used some staples reclaimed from a packing case

You mght be thinking I don't reconise that stamp ! well here she is :)
The background stamp (papillon) is inked with archival inks (Oyster Stamps have a lovely selection of colours) then distress inked before carfully inking the part of the stamp I wanted to use again with archival, love the way it didn't come out perfect  she seems to look happier to me with the flower in her hair which appeared in my hand after fiddleing with a bit of scrap die cut waste
So come on folks blow the cobwebs off Mona and let her come out to play again and you could be in with a chance to win a £10 voucher from Oyster stamps as long as you follow the rules

Tando Clock

Last night I had great fun making this clock at Pickwell farm and if you live in the Southampton area I hope you go and visit the shop as Carolyn stocks a lovely range of Tando along with lots of other goodies :)
We all had the same frame and all the papers (Tim Holtz) and stains inks and stamps provided I chose the retro grunge and shabby shutter with peeled paint for the frame and wild honey and peeled paint for the background, with sour apple and forest moss PP mists shame you can't see them in the photo though. I've only used a couple of the shapes provided I didn't want to over do it... oh yes and I've stuck it together in such a way that the green panels can be slid out and replaced with photo's

Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to know what you think :)

Challenge 4 at Artful Times

Hiya all it's my turn to set this fortnights challenge at Artful Times and I have choosen Birds .
My card made at the last minute with the new DI's lemon, lilac and peacock, I just had to have a play with the inks when they arrived,  a wrinkle free background on Lavina smooth card which has some sort of coating the colours look so viberant :) stamped the inkadinkao birds in archival and took out some of the colour with water, the text from Creative Expression is embossed with wow embossing powder and the lace stamp is unknown, to finish it off some seam binding coloured with the inks .

It's been a lovely fortnight of visting your timely piece and I really look forward to seeing your birds :)
Take care all

The cock crows for a New Challenge Blog

Hello everyone and it's the first day of our new Challenge and Artful Times
You may think this is an odd time of day to go live but there is method in our madness as the weekend starts at 6 pm works done and it's time to play or atleast think and plan for the weekend  although you do have two weeks to make your creation :) and  to kick you off we have an anything goes on a tag  Sam and Neet have both come up with some wonderful samples to inspire you and here's mine

A background of distress inks with the sun stamped with a yellow dabber so it shines out, the cockeral stamped in archival and water coloured with DI inks and then to give it that warn look a white dabber around the edge and bottom before stamping the sentiment, and guess what Simon says also wants to see a tag :)

Hope you will come and play along with us

Less is More

My latest birthday card has been inspired by this weeks Less is More Challenge  which is to use masking .
The lady has been stamp coloured with distress inks and masked , torn paper to make another mask and inked in light blue then stamped in a dark blue

Of course there are lots of wonderful entries and inspiration from the DT

Anything goes at Just for Fun

How are you all ? were you good and did Santa bring you some new toys to play with if so why not get creative and show them off here at Just for Fun as it's anything goes .
I have had a play with an old toy had to blow the dust off mind you lol

I've taken 2 files from my Silhouette library and joined them together, not sure if you can see but I have used green and pink chalks on the flourish and bird and distress ink for the edge this was then mounted on a background made with reinkers on tissue paper. Zoe and Neet have of course come up with fab ideas :)
Have a wonderful New Year all and I look forward to visiting you
XXX

Week 47 at Just for Fun

A quiet week for Zoe's choice of seasons and summer at Just for Fun, but so lovely to see those of you taking a break from the Christmas cards :)  now we are revisiting autumn on this the winter solstice so days can only get lighter and hopefully brighter from today .
For my creation this week I've used part of a stamp from Third coast a fairy among the brambles, my OH think she looks a bit scary. I've made a chip board frame by glueing layers together cut with a nestability, coloured some card with the autumn DI's love that seedless preserve just the right colour for all those autumn fruits, die cut some leaves and used candy cane stickles for the berries , so if you have time to play along with us this week Zoe Neet and myself will only be to happy to come and vist you :)

Favourite shape at just for Fun

We certainly saw some wonderful techniques this last week :) from all you wonderful crafters
This is the last week of Neet's favourites at Just for Fun
What's your favourite shape ? maybe a die cut or card shape like Zoe
Well mines the Paisley from spellbinders I've used the largest a number of times as a tag but thought for a change I'd use a smaller one on a card inked up some paper with the new seedless preserve chipped and stamped my image with chipped sapphire cut 2 out and had a happy accident 2 make a heart shape :) nothing was planned it all just sort of happen as I went along, I've used sequin waste for the dots with spun sugar on the base card

Looking forward to seeing what you can do with your favourite shape

Techniques galore at Just for Fun

Well I didn't think it could get any harder but Neet's choice this week is favourite techniques ! oh what to do I have all ready done a few this month bleaching , kiss resist, wrinkle free and letterpress with embossing folders ............. wow there are just so many out there
Ok so here we go with my first Christmas card of the season embossed with snowflake tinsel and water coloured with distress inks and perfect pearl not difficult but effective :) I use an acrylic block for my pallet and just touch the corner of my ink pad to it to lay down some ink then spritz with a little water, pick up a little PP with my paint brush and mix, a little goes along way . I used a new colour Biscotti which is a lovely compromise between the pearl and the gold :)

I hope you can see the subtle shimmer the PP has given.
Now it's time for you to have a play and share with us at Just for Fun
Oh and do check out Zoe's and Neets they are extra fabulous week :)

It's all about the background

Last week I finally got my inky fingers on the distress inks doing the happy dance lol and I know everyone has there new favourite colours for me it's the seedless preserves and iced spruce.
The Artistic Stamper wants to see backgrounds and Let's Ink it Up want to see a favourite techniques .
I've used Iced spruce for the background then stamped with bleach then used the Spun Sugar distress stain another fav as half the bottles gone all ready some White D stain dabed on with my finger then stamped with the Seedless preserves.
I could have dressed it up more but I like it the way it is :)

Kiss Resist Technique

Not as daunting as you might think you just need the right stamps :)

You will need
Glossy card
Dye ink
Versamark
1 patterned line stamp
1 mainly solid shadow type stamp

Ink up the detailed stamp with the coloured dye ink and the solid stamp with the versamark ink, now press the two together this will transfer the dye ink onto the solid stamp, next stamp the solid stamp onto the glossy card and allow to dry ( if doing this on regular card stock now is the time to emboss with clear embossing powder )

Now you can add ink to the background and wipe off the resist area

If you chooses to use a text stamp remember it will stamp out in reverse.

Also check out Neets Resist Techinques
Stamps used Tim Holtz and Anna Griffin Allnight media

Anything but a card at Just for Fun

Hear we are at the last week of September and the weather has been so nice here in the south it actually feels more like summer than the summer we've had :)
We saw some inventive shaped creations last week from boxes and cards to wonderful hangings .
This week at Just For Fun you can create anything of your choice as long as it's NOT a CARD or overly cute we do like to see the messier side of crafting lol
For me this is the first time I have actually done something on a canvas, it's covered with some TH paper and inked with distress inks, I've inked through a stencil with more DI inks and embossed with clear embossing powder

Green but not with envey Just for Fun Challenge

The colour green is the theme at Just for Fun this week so whether it be paint, paper ,ink, fabric, fibers etcetera  just so long as it's green :)
For my card I have embossed my image in verdigris and coloured with peeled paint, Forest moss and forever green perfect pearls and finished it off with variegated green gilding flakes

Very distressed in red

Try it on Tuesday  and The Stampman are having a monochrome challenge this week and there are some great pieces for inspiration, monochrome means shades of the same colour, so there was no other choice for me than the Ranger Distress inks, I've used Barn Door, Fired Brick and Mahogany

Thanks for stopping by :)